Machine for and method of casting ingot



Aug. 13, 1963 KOlCHl WATANABE ETAL MACHINE FOR AND METHOD OF CASTING INGOT Filed Sept. 4, 1958 6 4N0 AND R A INVENTORS mm W TAN/15E attests Patented Aug. 13, 1963 This invention relates generally to the art of molding and more particularly to the method and apparatus for continuously casting ingots in molds and quickly cooling them until they are suiliciently solidified for ejection.

The principal object of this invention is a method and apparatus for casting and effectively cooling units so that.

they will solidify and can be immediately ejected from the mold. By molding and quickly solidifying an ingot in a mold, one is enabled to eject the ingot at a very fast rate and thus obtain extended use of the mold by quick representation of the mold in the casting process.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a more efficient casting operation by providing a simple method in quickly cooling and ejecting the ingots from the molds without interruption of their movement in a rescribed path.

Another object is the provision of an improved method of casting, cooling and ejecting solidified ingots from molds operating in a continuous and endless path.

Another object is the provision of a machine for continuously circulating an endless series of molds in which molten metal is continuously poured to cast a series of ingots while the same is being passed through a cooling medium to quickly solidify the ingot and permit immediate ejection from the mold.

Another object is the provision of a method and machine for casting a continuous series of ingot molds and controlling the cooling of the ingots cast in the molds by regulating the flow of the coolant washing the molds to solidify the ingot and eject the same.

Another object is the provision of a method and machine for continuously moving an endless series of molds through a cooling tank in which the ingots are castand solidified and inverting the molds in their continuous path vibrating the same to eject the ingots therefrom.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the following description and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification without limiting the invention or claims thereto certain practical embodiments illustrating the principles of this invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the invention with parts shown in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in cross section (II-II) of an ingot mold passing through a cooling tank seal.

FIG. 3 is an enlarge-d view in section showing a portion of the structure along the dotted line III of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings the casting machine comprising this invention is made up of two side plate members 1 and 2 which are connected transversely by the base structural members 3 in the form of channel members and the intermediate structural members 4- some of which support motor member 5 and the reducing gear member 6. The side plates and the transverse members constitute the frame of the machine.

The ends of the side plates 1 and 2 are rounded and are supplied with a bearing structure as illustrated at 7 for supporting the transverse shafts 6 that carry the sprocket members 9. The sprocket member at the right end of the machine has the takeup as indicated at ltl for maintaining the proper tension in the endless chain of molds illustrated at 11 which are materially longer between the side plates 1 and 2 than they are wide as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Each mold is provided with a perimetral flange 12, the sides of which are fiat as illustrated in FIG. 2 and the end portions of which are curved so as to overlap each other in acute relation as shown in FIG. 3. The flat sides of the flange 12 are provided with brackets 15 preferably Welded thereto that extend toward the adjacent mold and are provided with openings to receive the shaft 16 on which rollers 17 are journaled with suitable bearing means. Thus the plates 15 together with the mold sections 11 form an endless chain being supported by the shaft member 16. The outer ends of the shafts 16 are provided with the links 18 which hold the rollers in position on the shaft 16. Although the shaft 16 is-all that is needed to form the endless chain connecting adjacent molds, the rollers are employed to support the molds as they traverse the horizontal flights on the top and on the bottom of the machine. For this purpose the inner faces of the plates 1 and 2 are provided with the angle brackets 29 and 21 on which is mounted a rail pad 22 on which the rollers 17 ride. The rollers themselves ride the sprockets 9 at opposite ends of the frame and provide the driving force for the endless chain made up of these ingot molds 11. The sprocket at the discharge end of the machine is connected by the belt or chain drive means 23 to the reducing gear 6 which in turn is connected by means of the belt or chain drive means 24 to the motor 5. As the molds pass around the sprocket, they become inverted and the rollers support the molds on the tracks 22 positioned on top of the bracketmembore 21 at the bottom of the plates 1 and 2 as shown in FIG. 2.

The side plates 1 and 2 form the sides of a drainage tank 25, the ends 26 of which extend upwardly and are provided with a transverse flange 27 that just misses the bottom of the molds 11 passing thereunder. The lower intermediate portion of the tank is provided with a sump 28 from which the water or other coolant liquid is drained through the pipe 30 as controlled by a suitable valve 311 and which may be returned for cooling and recirculation or to waste.

An inner tank member 32 is provided with the side walls 33 and 34 which extend to within a short distance of the ends 26 of the drainage tank 25. The tank 32 is provided with a receiving throat 35 at the right end of FIG. 1 and a discharge throat 35 at the left end of the tank. These throats may be termed as a tank seal and the upper face 37 has substantially the same configuration as that of the outline of the mold as shown in FIG. 2. The tank 32 is supplied with a suitable coolant such as water through the pipe 38 controlled by the valve 39. This pipe is provided with two outlets 40 and 41 both of which are provided with a bafile plate as indicated at 42 and 43. The pipe outlet 4% is preferably larger than the outlet 41 so that the majority of the Water enters the tank 32 at the right end as this is the end in which the ingot molds 11 are filled with molten material from the conduit 44 after each mold has passed the receiving throat or tank seal 35. The cooling water is continuously supplied by the tank 32 and it will con tinuously leak past the receiving and discharge throats and over the side walls 33 and 34 of the tank 32. However the side walls 33 and 34 extend a considerable distance up the sides of the ingot molds.

In order to protect the rollers from the water, an angle bracket 45 is secured to the under side of each of the angle brackets 2t) and 21 with its free log extending upwardly so as to form the upper rim of the drain tank 25 along the sides of the machine. These angles may extend slightly above the side walls 33 and 34 of the represented by the mouth of the conduit. As the overlapping curved flange portions pass under the conduit 44 the liquid will travel in either direction but in most cases it will not leak therebetween owing to the fact that the arcuate flanges are nested in'to'each other which allows the molten liquid to run in either direction to the mold. Since the mold is setting in the coolant at the time it is being filled and the coolant is continuously circulated to maintain a predetermined temperature in the tank 3 2, the material inthe mold quickly chills and becomes solidified before it is inverted by the sprocket 9 at the left end of the machine. As the filled mold travels along through the tank 32, the speed of travel and the temperature of the water are such that the mold need not be further chilled by the coolant and therefore "passes through the throat 36, after which it passes around the sprocket 9 and the wheel 46 on the end of the pivoted arm 47 is caused to strike the bottom of the mold when impelled by the fluid actuated cylinder 48 if the ingot has not already shrunken from the walls and dropped of its own accord from the mold. The mold is then permitted to cool as it continues to travel along the under side of the machine and until it is again presented for filling at the mouth of the conduit 44.

It is preferable that the. molds have a clearance with their tankseals 35 and 36 so that the water has an opportunity to continuously escape from these throats to maintain them cool as well as to cool the molds.

These molds may also be provided with a transverse ridge such as indicated at 50in FIG. 2 that extends across the bottom of the molds for the purpose of stiffening the same.

The front and rear sides of each mold are provided with a bracket such as illustrated in 51 and 52 in FIG.

'3. These brackets as shown in this view form a water a shield preventing the water from splashing and passing and into the hot metal or other material being molded.

We claim:

l. The method of casting ingots comprising the steps of continuously moving ingot molds along a horizontal path of movement, continuously passing the bottom and side portions of the molds into, through and out of a coolant bath without deviating from their horizontal path of movement, filling the continuously moving molds While continuously traveling in the coolant bath, continuously flowing the coolant past and in uniform contact With the bottom and sides of the molds entering and leaving the bath to cool the same, traveling the mold with the poured ingot therein to an inverted position to dump the molds, and returning the molds in their undeviating horizontal path into the bath.

2'. A continuous ingot casting machine consisting of a circulating series of ingot molds, a spout for feeding molten material to consecutive ingot molds, a liquid coolant tank through which the circulating series of ingot ,molds travels, a receiving throat and a discharge throat in said tank below its perimetral walls for passing said circulating series of ingot molds with uniform clearance directly between the exterior bottom and side mold surfaces and said receiving and discharge throats parallel thereto to continuously discharge liquid coolant from said tank and cool the exterior mold surfaces, said receiving and discharge throats having the length of at least two consecutive ingot molds, conduit means to continuously supply coolant liquid to said tank, and a second tank j below said receiving and discharge throats to catch the liquid coolant discharging therefrom for recirculation. 3. The ingot casting machineof claim 2 characterized in that said second tank is a drain tank that encircles'said liquid coolant tank to catch the continuous discharge of liquid coolant from each receiving and discharge throat and any overflow and direct'the same for recirculation.

4. The ingot casting machine of'claim 2 characterized in that the discharge mouth of said liquid coolant supply conduit means is immersed in the liquid in said tank, and a baffie spaced from and covering the mouth of said conduit means is positioned to deflect the direct stream of liquid coolant entering said liquid coolant tank,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 447,683 Hawdon Mar. 3, 1891 583,424 Acklin May 25, 1897 633,179 Acklin et al Sept. 19, 1899 2,210,145 D6 Bats Aug. 6, 1940 2,533,576 G ionet D66. 12, 1950 2,865,067 Properzi Dec. 23, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,351 Great Britain 1900 

1. THE METHOD OF CASTING INGOTS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY MOVING INGOT MOLDS ALONG A HORIZONTAL PATH OF MOVEMENT, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE BOTTOM AND SIDE PORTIONS OF THE MOLDS INTO, THROUGH AND OUT OF A COOLANT BATH WITHOUT DEVIATING FROM THEIR HORIZONTAL PATH OF MOVEMENT, FILLING THE CONTINUOUSLY MOVING MOLDS WHILE CONTINUOUSLY TRAVELING IN THE COOLANT BATH, CON- 